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American Flat Track Moves to Weekend Programming as part of New Multi-Year TV Broadcast Deal with NBCSN
American Flat Track, the world’s fastest growing motorcycle sport, is proud to announce a multi-year renewal with NBCSN and a move to highly-coveted, weekend afternoon programming slots within two weeks of each event.
AFT posted strong viewership numbers in its inaugural season on NBCSN and reached nearly two million viewers last year. With a weekly programming schedule, the sport gathered a loyal fanbase that tuned in to NBCSN’s primetime motorsports block every Thursday night. This season, AFT’s one-hour, tape-delayed telecasts will premiere on weekend afternoons on NBCSN, often directly following or preceding the network’s NASCAR, IndyCar, and Pro Motocross coverage.
American Flat Track is the most historic form of American motorcycle racing and is entering its 65th season with significant momentum. Comprised of two diverse and highly-competitive classes, the series is headlined by powerful, twin-cylinder motorcycles in AFT Twins presented by Vance & Hines while riders mounted on spirited, 450cc single-cylinder machines battle it out in the AFT Singles division.
“American Flat Track’s relationship with NBC has driven extraordinary interest in our sport,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “With the improved broadcast schedule and exciting new racing storylines for 2018 we are anticipating even greater numbers of fans following America’s original extreme sport on NBCSN.”
With nearly 85 million subscribers, NBCSN is the Home of Motorsports in America. In addition to providing coverage of American Flat Track, NBCSN is also the home for NASCAR, IndyCar, Mecum Auctions, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.
“We are very excited to kick-off our second season of AFT on NBCSN,” said Jeff Macaluso, Senior Director, Programming, NBC Sports Group. “The 2017 season provided us with some incredible racing and showed us how passionate the riders and fans are of this historic sport. The move to weekends this year, around other marquis motorsports properties, is sure to raise the level even higher.”
American Flat Track’s telecasts on NBCSN are expertly produced by NASCAR Productions, LLC and provide viewers with a window into the dramatic world of American Flat Track. Coverage from all 18 events will feature flag-to-flag coverage of both racing classes. Exclusive features and editorial content highlight the triumphs and tribulations of the world’s elite dirt track motorcycle racers as they battle for glory. Cutting-edge technology including aerial drone footage and onboard cameras will once again put viewers on the edge of their seats as the riders slide through the corners and draft each other down the straights at speeds of more than 130 mph.
In addition to the 18 weekend premieres, NBCSN will provide a weekday re-air of each show before they will become available on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. FansChoice.tv, a cornerstone of American Flat Track’s digital strategy, will continue to provide live streaming coverage of every round on the 2018 calendar.
The 2018 season will begin on March 15 at Daytona International Speedway, as American Flat Track returns to a one-of-a-kind race course built on the famous tri-oval at the “World Center of Racing.” This year’s Harley-Davidson TT presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys will see faster and more furious racing action thanks to a fresh track redesign featuring wider corners, a faster straightaway and the biggest jump on the calendar. General Admission tickets start at just $30 and are on sale now. Get yours today by visiting Daytona International Speedway’s website at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
The schedule for American Flat Track’s premiere telecasts on NBCSN follows, subject to change:
Rd |
Track, Location |
Track Type |
Premiere |
Time (ET) |
Time (PT) |
1 |
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL |
TT |
Sun, 3/25 |
2:00 PM |
11:00 AM |
2 |
Dixie Speedway, Woodstock, GA |
Short Track |
Sat, 4/14 |
5:30 PM |
2:30 PM |
3 |
Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, TX |
Half-Mile |
Sun, 5/06 |
4:00 PM |
1:00 PM |
4 |
Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, CA |
Half-Mile |
Sun, 5/20 |
12:00 PM |
9:00 AM |
5 |
Turf Paradise, Phoenix, AZ |
Mile |
Sat, 5/26 |
3:00 PM |
12:00 PM |
6 |
Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA |
Mile |
Sun, 6/03 |
2:00 PM |
11:00 AM |
7 |
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL |
Mile |
Sat, 6/09 |
5:00 PM |
2:00 PM |
8 |
Red Mile, Lexington, KY |
Mile |
Sat, 6/16 |
12:00 PM |
9:00 AM |
9 |
Remington Park, Oklahoma City, OK |
Mile |
Sat, 6/23 |
5:00 PM |
2:00 PM |
10 |
Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, OH |
Half-Mile |
Sat, 7/07 |
2:30 PM |
11:30 AM |
11 |
Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY |
Short Track |
Sun, 7/15 |
6:00 PM |
3:00 PM |
12 |
Buffalo Chip Campgrounds, Sturgis, SD |
TT |
Sat, 8/11 |
12:30 PM |
9:30 AM |
13 |
Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, SD |
Half-Mile |
Sat, 8/18 |
2:00 PM |
11:00 AM |
14 |
Peoria Motorcycle Club, Peoria, IL |
TT |
Sat, 9/01 |
3:00 PM |
12:00 PM |
15 |
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL |
Mile |
Sat, 9/22 |
2:30 PM |
11:30 AM |
16 |
Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA |
Half-Mile |
Sun, 9/23 |
5:00 PM |
2:00 PM |
17 |
Canterbury Park, Shakopee, MN |
Mile |
Sun, 10/14 |
5:00 PM |
2:00 PM |
18 |
Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, NJ |
Mile |
Sun, 10/21 |
2:00 PM |
11:00 AM |
About American Flat Track:
American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on American Flat Track, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events at FansChoice.tv and catch all the American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.
About NBCSN:
NBCSN is NBC Sports Group’s dedicated 24/7 linear sports network. Now in nearly 85 million homes, the Emmy Award-winning network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL) – including two Stanley Cup Final games – NASCAR, IndyCar, Premier League, Tour de France, and America’s Cup. In addition, NBCSN features college football, college basketball, college hockey, cycling, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, Ironman, the AVP Tour and
Premiership Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as PFT Live, The Dan Patrick Show, and NASCAR America. NBCSN is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
(Story and photo from AmericanFlatTrack.com)